Inspire Inform Involve 		Dispatch 8.1
February 2008
"Corporate Social Responsibility" 		 Read Past Issues
Welcome to the Dispatch

Corporations are powerful entities, they are often influential in multiple industries, present in many regions all over the world, and as a result the decisions made within a corporation often have effects beyond the employees or customers of the corporation itself. The decisions and actions of large corporations can affect many things, including: worker's rights, the environment, politics, and sometimes the entire economy of a country or region. As a result of the power and influence a corporation can exercise within society 'Corporate Social Responsibility' has become a huge focus, not just for activists dedicated to this particular cause, but for concerned citizens, government bodies and investors all over the world. TakingITGlobal, and many other organizations, causes, and movements, have benefited from the funding available due to the increasing focus on 'Corporate Social Responsibility' within corporations themselves. Continuing focus on CSR will bring increasing benefits, not only in terms of funding for programs that benefit society, but for the individuals, communities, and environments affected by corporate actions.

The TakingITGlobal Team
dispatch@takingitglobal.org

Featured Country: Nigeria

Featured Country: Sierra LeoneKnown officially as the Republic of Sierra Leone, this country located in West Africa has a direct link with the topic for this month: Corporate Social Responsibility, due to a civil war caused in part by the diamond mining industry and the mismanagement of profits from Sierra Leone's substantial diamond resources. The Civil War was prolonged as it became funded in part with profits from the diamond mines, these came to be referred to as conflict diamonds, or 'rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments'. The situation in Sierra Leone was one of the reasons for the creation of the Kimberly Process, a certification process that includes major corporations within the diamond industry, and ensures that diamonds that are sold are conflict-free. Sierra Leone's civil war ended in 2002, but the role of the diamond industry in the violent Civil War is often used as an example, when discussing Corporate Social Responsibility, of why corporations must take into consideration, and be held accountable for the effects they have on people and politics, as well as communities and the environment.

Sierra Leone is one of the countries involved in TakingITGlobal's project: Creating Local Connections West Africa, or Liaisons Locales Afrique de l'Ouest. Check out content created by our Sierra Leonean members on the Sierra Leone country site!

To learn more about the diamond mining industry, and it's role in Sierra Leone, as well as other parts of the world, visit the Diamond Road Online Featured Theme Page!





TakingITGlobal Member Impact Survey: Your Input is Needed!

TIG Member Impact Survey Has TakingITGlobal made a difference in your life?

We would love to find out how TakingITGlobal has had an impact on you! Please share your insights and experiences on the TakingITGlobal site by filling out our online survey, which will be available until February 15, 2007. The survey is short and easy to complete, and your input will enable us to better understand how TIG is impacting the members of its community. We appreciate your time!

Take the survey!

If you would prefer to provide additional feedback in any of the following languages (English, French, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Italian, Swedish, Dutch, Romanian, Turkish, or Arabic), please contact: multilingual@takingitglobal.org.

TakingITGlobal Research

TIG Research Luke Walker, Director of Education Programs at TIGed, was recently published as part of the MacArthur Foundation series on Digital Media and Learning, which is dedicated to examining the effects of digital media on society, especially the effect on youth. Luke contributed to the book "Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth" by co-authoring the chapter 'Our Space: Online Civic Engagement Tools for Youth' along with Kate Raynes-Goldie.

You can find it in the Toolkits and Publications section here:
http://www.tigurl.org/pub1283



CSR on TakingITGlobal

CSR on TakingITGlobal Check out the 'Corporate Social Responsibility' Page in TIG's Understanding the Issues section for more information and resources on this topic.

TakingITGlobal will be hosting a Live Chat this February focusing on Corporate Social Responsibility, join the Live Chat group on TIG in order to receive updates on time, date and speakers!

Join the Live Chat Group:
http://groups.tigweb.org/chat_reminder

Commit yourself to greater Corporate Social Responsibility this month! Support our Featured Commitment: Buy Ethical Products. Individuals can influence the decisions and actions of corporations through what products and services we choose to buy, or what corporations and companies we choose to support. By committing to buying products produced ethically you are sending a message to corporations that their behaviour matters to you.

Commit now!:
http://commit.tigweb.org/199



Pre-Register for Youth Media Exchange

Pre-Register for Youth Media Exchange Youth Media Exchange.org (YMEX) is a new collaborative online social network for youth who are interested in combining digital media and social issues. It is a collaborative project of the Asia Society, TakingITGlobal, and Global Kids. YMEX.org will allow you to share the digital media you've posted across the web, learn more about global issues, and meet other young people interested in creating media and art for social good. This exciting new online community will be launching at the beginning of March - but you can pre-register to be a YMEX member now!

Be one of the first to pre-register here:
http://www.ymex.org/

TakingITGlobal Online Community Revamp!

TakingITGlobal Online Community Revamp! You may have noticed some exciting new changes on the site, these are the result of the hard work of TakingITGlobal's tech team and will make the site more interactive and easier to use! Three new features that were recently launched include: the new improved My TIG, tagging, and the TIG widget (a module that allows you to bookmark, rate, tell a friend and report content all over the site). In order to learn more about these new features please visit the TakingITGlobal Site News TIGblog!

Wrap Up

Your interest, support and involvement with TakingITGlobal helps our community to grow and encourages more young people to become inspired, informed and involved everyday! In being a member of TakingITGlobal, you are part of a community that is 180,000 strong coming from over 250 countries and territories. Thank you for having a vision of positive change. Your work makes a difference!

In friendship,

The TakingITGlobal Team



Copyright 2008 TakingITGlobal

The TakingITGlobal Dispatch is the official newsletter of TakingITGlobal, electronically published via email, and compiled from various events and news from within the TakingITGlobal network. Contributions should be sent to dispatch@takingitglobal.org. Please include your full name, age, and your TIG username.